Obstetrician shortage forces New York hospital to end delivery services

Hudson, N.Y.-based Columbia Memorial Hospital will stop delivering babies Oct. 1 due to a shortage of obstetricians, according to CBS 6.

"This was not a fiscal decision," William Slyke, a spokesperson for the hospital, told CBS 6. He said it was "impossible to recruit and retain OBs."

Approximately 300 babies are born at Columbia Memorial each year, with other hospitals' delivery rate double or triple that, according to Mr. Slyke. Currently, deliveries take place in the Columbia Memorial emergency room.

Mr. Slyke said a declining birth rate in Columbia County, N.Y., affected the hospital's ability to retain physicians, according to CBS 6.

The hospital will continue to offer pre- and postnatal services, and will work with patients to develop birth plans that include transportation to Columbia's affiliate hospital, Albany (N.Y.) Medical Center, which is about an hour away, Mr. Slyke told CBS 6.